He had turned 16, passed his written and driving exams and was planning to get his driver's license on July 18. Instead, Walter was in surgery, having disks in his neck fused together.

He broke his neck on July 1 jumping into the next-door neighbor's above-ground pool. A simple belly-flop turned tragic when Walter over-rotated.

"My body twisted into a dive instead of a belly-flop," he said.

His head hit the bottom of the pool.

"I floated up to the top," Walter said Wednesday from his room at New Hanover Regional Medical Center's rehab hospital. "I was face-down. I couldn't move anything, and I was like, ‘Oh crap, I broke my neck.'"

When the ambulance arrived, the paramedic confirmed that Walter had broken his neck.

He was rushed into surgery at NHRMC, where Dr. George Alsina fused together three vertebrae from the front.

After the surgery, Walter regained some movement in his arms. After a second surgery to fuse three vertebrae from the rear, Walter regained more feeling in his torso.

Walter had received medicine through an injection into his stomach several times. Hospital staff hadn't numbed the area because Walter had no sensation below his chest.

On Wednesday, Walter felt the needle. When he yelped in pain, his dad, Walter Bell Sr., shouted in joy.

The pain in his stomach was a sign that Walter was still improving.

"Any progression is good progression," Walter said.

Walter and his dad, taking cues from the hospital staff, are hesitant to speak too optimistically about the future. Walter's dad said he hopes for a "full recovery," but neither her nor his son uttered the word "walk" during an hour-long interview. They stayed focused on their primary short-term goal – getting Walter out of his hospital bed and into a wheelchair. He was able to sit at a 50-degree angle during Wednesday's therapy session, not quite wheelchair-ready but showing progress.

"I want to get out of this bedroom and go down the hall and get a soda," he said.

For now, Walter's dad has plans to modify their home to accommodate a wheelchair. He also talked about modifying the pickup truck to accommodate Walter and a wheelchair.

While Walter and his dad have been living at the hospital, their friends at Hampstead Baptist Church have already started working on their home, said Pastor Sean Griffin. They have reinforced some weak floors, and they are prepared to help build a ramp and widen the doors if necessary.

They have also made it a point to involve Walter's younger brother, Juston, who is spending most of the summer without two constants in his life, Walter and his dad.

"I don't want him to be at hospital all summer," Griffin said of Juston. "He needs to be able to enjoy his summer."

The church has posted a video of Walter on its home page. In it, Walter shows some arm motion and thanks everyone for their support.

Walter is an active member at Hampstead Baptist. He helps cook meals on Wednesday nights, helps with mission trips and serves as an usher.

Walter's dad said the family was flooded with visitors during Walter's first week in the hospital. One friend refused to leave the hospital until Walter was out of surgery.

"We've been inundated with visitors," Walter's dad said. "Some of the kids take time out of their own week to come see Walter. To me, that's very special."

It's not just Walter's friends that have stopped by. His Topsail High School shop teachers have visited. His elementary school teachers have stopped by. Topsail High School Principal Berry Simmons came to the hospital. Youth groups from other churches have visited.

Though Walter can move his arms, he doesn't yet have control of his fingers or his thumbs – the primary means of communication for a lot of teens. So the face-to-face contact with his friends is invaluable.

They put their screens in front of his face, showing him their pictures and texts. Walter's dad can see his spirits rise as he interacts with his peers.

Though Walter's neck is swollen and it's hard to get comfortable, he still manages some smiles.

"I love his personality," Griffin said. "He understands what has happened to him and what might happen, but he hasn't lost that personality."

Each day, Walter looks for any sign of improvement – a new sensation in his fingers, a slight improvement in his mobility.

<p>Walter Bell Jr. had visions for this summer. He was going to hook up his new skiff to his Chevy Z71 pickup truck and skim across Topsail Sound, catching fish with his best friends.</p><p>He had turned 16, passed his written and driving exams and was planning to get his driver's license on July 18. Instead, Walter was in surgery, having disks in his neck fused together.</p><p>He broke his neck on July 1 jumping into the next-door neighbor's above-ground pool. A simple belly-flop turned tragic when Walter over-rotated. </p><p>"My body twisted into a dive instead of a belly-flop," he said.</p><p>His head hit the bottom of the pool.</p><p>"I floated up to the top," Walter said Wednesday from his room at <a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/topic9969"><b>New Hanover Regional Medical Center</b></a>'s rehab hospital. "I was face-down. I couldn't move anything, and I was like, 'Oh crap, I broke my neck.'"</p><p>When the ambulance arrived, the paramedic confirmed that Walter had broken his neck.</p><p>He was rushed into surgery at NHRMC, where Dr. George Alsina fused together three vertebrae from the front. </p><p>After the surgery, Walter regained some movement in his arms. After a second surgery to fuse three vertebrae from the rear, Walter regained more feeling in his torso.</p><p>Walter had received medicine through an injection into his stomach several times. Hospital staff hadn't numbed the area because Walter had no sensation below his chest. </p><p>On Wednesday, Walter felt the needle. When he yelped in pain, his dad, Walter Bell Sr., shouted in joy. </p><p>The pain in his stomach was a sign that Walter was still improving.</p><p>"Any progression is good progression," Walter said.</p><p>Walter and his dad, taking cues from the hospital staff, are hesitant to speak too optimistically about the future. Walter's dad said he hopes for a "full recovery," but neither her nor his son uttered the word "walk" during an hour-long interview. They stayed focused on their primary short-term goal – getting Walter out of his hospital bed and into a wheelchair. He was able to sit at a 50-degree angle during Wednesday's therapy session, not quite wheelchair-ready but showing progress.</p><p>"I want to get out of this bedroom and go down the hall and get a soda," he said.</p><p>For now, Walter's dad has plans to modify their home to accommodate a wheelchair. He also talked about modifying the pickup truck to accommodate Walter and a wheelchair.</p><p>While Walter and his dad have been living at the hospital, their friends at Hampstead Baptist Church have already started working on their home, said Pastor Sean Griffin. They have reinforced some weak floors, and they are prepared to help build a ramp and widen the doors if necessary.</p><p>They have also made it a point to involve Walter's younger brother, Juston, who is spending most of the summer without two constants in his life, Walter and his dad.</p><p>"I don't want him to be at hospital all summer," Griffin said of Juston. "He needs to be able to enjoy his summer."</p><p>The church has posted a video of Walter on its home page. In it, Walter shows some arm motion and thanks everyone for their support.</p><p>Walter is an active member at Hampstead Baptist. He helps cook meals on Wednesday nights, helps with mission trips and serves as an usher.</p><p>Walter's dad said the family was flooded with visitors during Walter's first week in the hospital. One friend refused to leave the hospital until Walter was out of surgery.</p><p>"We've been inundated with visitors," Walter's dad said. "Some of the kids take time out of their own week to come see Walter. To me, that's very special."</p><p>It's not just Walter's friends that have stopped by. His Topsail High School shop teachers have visited. His elementary school teachers have stopped by. Topsail High School Principal Berry Simmons came to the hospital. Youth groups from other churches have visited.</p><p>Though Walter can move his arms, he doesn't yet have control of his fingers or his thumbs – the primary means of communication for a lot of teens. So the face-to-face contact with his friends is invaluable.</p><p>They put their screens in front of his face, showing him their pictures and texts. Walter's dad can see his spirits rise as he interacts with his peers.</p><p>Though Walter's neck is swollen and it's hard to get comfortable, he still manages some smiles. </p><p>"I love his personality," Griffin said. "He understands what has happened to him and what might happen, but he hasn't lost that personality."</p><p>Each day, Walter looks for any sign of improvement – a new sensation in his fingers, a slight improvement in his mobility.</p><p>"From day one, he's had a positive attitude," his dad said. "He's the strongest guy I've ever met."</p><p><i></p><p><a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/topic87"><b>Mike Voorheis</b></a>: 343-2205</i></p><iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/NnXeEbvY9cg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>